As the war in Artsakh rages, FAR continues its distributions of emergency food and supplies, and shelter assistance to those who have fled Artsakh.
Families like Lilia Davityan and her two small children, Gabriella and Aleksey, left Stepanakert on the 27th of September after a bomb landed close to their house. The family had to run to take shelter in a nearby bunker. Lilia’s husband, who joined the frontlines, insisted that his family evacuate.
Lilia’s grandparents, Raya and Albert Sargsyan, soon joined the three in Yerevan. They left in early October as shelling by the Azeri's escalated in Stepanakert. At one point, they had to park under a bridge and wait until the explosions stopped before they went any further.
The couple is familiar with the pain of war and loss. Their son, Seyran, died in 1988 when he was hit by a car at age 10. Their other son, Syoma, was killed in 1994 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. He was 26 years old. Now, their third son, Vardan, 45, and daughter, Silva, 47, are fighting to defend Artsakh.
The family of five is now living in a Yerevan hotel, which is providing free shelter and food to the displaced. Unable to pack even one suitcase before they left, they are in need of clothing, diapers, and other essentials, which FAR is providing to them.
The TV in their hotel room is tuned to the news all day long. Lilia also constantly scans her phone for any trustworthy source of information from the border. While her husband calls once a day, he cannot say much about the situation on the ground.
Each day, they continue to hope for some good news.